2022-23 NBA MVP Race: Giannis Antetokounmpo Looks Unstoppable
Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the race for the 2022-23 MVP Award.
Credit: Fadeaway World
The 2022-23 season has kicked off and already we have ourselves some amazing storylines developing. The MVP race is heating up even just 10 games into the season as the league-wide talent is on full display. Stars are developing into superstars before our very eyes while some unexpected names have inserted themselves into the race as well. We have teams who no one thought would be competing at the top of the standings while projected contenders are struggling out of the gate. The NBA hasn’t had this kind of parity as far as contenders go in over 20 years and the future has never been brighter.
The following list of MVP candidates is comprised of the 10 players who have stood out through their team’s first 10 games. The MVP award voters have shown that they decide their votes based on a few important factors. The most important of them is a player’s impact on winning. Yes, team records matter, and if a player is responsible for a winning record. Stats and narratives play small parts as well but whether or not a player directly impacts winning is clearly the primary factor that voters take into account. No 10 players right now have had a more impactful start to the 2022-23 season.
Here are the Top 10 MVP candidates for the start of the 2022-23 season.
10. Jaylen Brown
Credit: Neil Redmond-USA TODAY Sports
2022-23 Stats: 24.9 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 2.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.6 BPG
For the past few years, it seems that Jaylen Brown has been the underappreciated star for the Boston Celtics. Not so much by Boston fans but by the national media and news as well. If anything, the 2022 run to the NBA Finals showcased precisely what I mean by that considering as a two-way player, no one else was better than Brown for the duration of the postseason. Brown’s impact on both sides of the ball has been evident once again to begin the 2022-23 season.
In 2022-23, Jaylen Brown has played 9 games for the Celtics so far. His full two-way impact has been on full display as the Celtics have gotten off to a nice 7-3 start. Brown is averaging 24.9 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 2.8 APG. He is shooting 33.8% from three and 45.0% overall. His best overall performance came on October 18th against the 76ers when he scored 35 points and recorded 2 steals and 1 block.
9. Pascal Siakam
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2022-23 Stats: 24.8 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 7.7 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.6 BPG
Fresh off of an All-NBA season in 2021-22, Pascal Siakam has picked up right where he left off. Siakam may be built and play like a power forward but he possesses the skills of a guard as a ball handler and scorer as well. He has great skills on the defensive side as well and has developed into one of the better all-around players in basketball before our very eyes. Siakam has emerged in 2022-23 as the Raptors' best scorer, playmaker, and interior defender, leading many to believe he can lead them into the future to a second NBA championship.
In his last game against the Dallas Mavericks, Siakam went down with an abdominal injury and didn’t return. It turns out he will miss a couple of weeks with a strained adductor muscle. It could be a major blow to the Raptors’ early season rise up the standings but if he comes back and is the player he was over the first 9 games, they will be just fine. In 9 games thus far, Siakam averaged 24.8 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 7.7 APG, and 0.9 SPG.
8. Nikola Jokic
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2022-23 Stats: 20.9 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 9.3 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.7 BPG
The reigning 2-time MVP Nikola Jokic has gotten off to a somewhat slower start than what we are used to but he still has the Nuggets poised to make a deep playoff run once again. Jokic is the game’s best passing big man, possibly the best we have ever seen, and has given the Nuggets early hope that things will only get better as the season wears on. If anyone can help the Nuggets reach new heights as a franchise, it is Nikola Jokic.
So far in 2022-23, Jokic has led the Nuggets to a 6-3 record overall and tied for the 4th spot in the Western Conference. He is averaging 20.9 PPG, 10.5 RPG, and 9.3 APG. A center nearly averaging a triple-double is unheard of throughout NBA history. Jokic is shooting a career-high 61.1% from the field this season and has been much more hesitant to shoot the three in recent years. His best performance came on October 26th against the Lakers when he recorded 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 9 assists.
7. Damian Lillard
Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
2022-23 Stats: 29.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 4.8 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Damian Lillard has been one of the best pure scorers and 3-point shooters over the past decade. Lillard has always had a flair for the dramatic as one of the NBA’s most clutch players. After an injury sidelined him for most of the 2021-22 season, Lillard returned to Portland’s lineup as a man-possessed. Lillard has missed Portland’s last 4 games with calf issues but it doesn’t seem to be as serious as last year’s abdominal injury.
Currently, the Trail Blazers have gotten off to a surprising start sitting at 7-3 and tied for 3rd in the Western Conference. Lillard has been outstanding averaging 29.0 PPG on 47.7% shooting overall and 39.0% from three. Lillard and Anfernee Simons have continued to dazzle and prove to be one of the more dangerous backcourts in the NBA as of right now. If these 2 continue to lead the way they have been, Portland will be a surprise contender come playoff time.
6. Jayson Tatum
Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
2022-23 Stats: 31.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 4.0 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.5 BPG
There is no denying Jayson Tatum’s star status in the NBA as it stands right now. If you didn’t have him close to your Top 10 players in the NBA, he certainly has made it a conversation early in 2022-23. Tatum and teammate Jaylen Brown finally led their team to the NBA Finals in 2022 but amid a ton of drama in the offseason, many have thought they would struggle out of the gates. That has not been the case as Boston has a 7-3 record and sits at 3rd in the East.
Through 10 games of the 2022-23 season, Tatum ranks among the league leaders in many statistical categories. He is currently averaging 31.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 4.0 APG, and 1.5 BPG. Boston has built on their league-leading defense from last season and surprisingly at the forefront has been Jayson Tatum. Despite the injuries and losing their coach for the entire season, Boston has dispelled the critics and fans who called for their demise in the offseason. Boston has Jayson Tatum to thank for that.
5. Devin Booker
Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
2022-23 Stats: 27.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 5.1 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.5 BPG
Once again headed into an NBA season, many experts and fans had written Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns off as the team that would drastically regress from the previous season. Once again, Devin Booker and the Suns have found a way to silence the critics. Booker has once again been dominant on the offensive side of the ball, controlling the game from the mid-range and becoming a solid playmaker. Coming off an All-NBA First Team season in 2022, Booker looks like a favorite to land there once again early on in 2022-23.
Currently, Booker has led the Suns to a 7-3 overall record and 2nd in the Western Conference standings. Through 9 games, he is averaging 27.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 5.1 APG. He is shooting 48.35% from the field, mostly on 3-point and mid-range jump shots. Booker is at the forefront of the Suns' success, taking the reigns as their best player, especially on the offensive side of the ball. With the way they look early, there is no reason the Suns can’t get back to the NBA Finals if they stay at this pace.
4. Ja Morant
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2022-23 Stats: 28.5 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 7.1 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.4 BPG
Ja Morant is yet another player who many thought would be dropping in production for the 2022-23 season. Yet, Morant has erupted so far in 2022-23 and has the Grizzlies looking good despite the struggles that were predicted without Jaren Jackson Jr. Morant has stuck to his game as an athletic superstar who attacks the rim at will and has improved his perimeter shooting. As great as he is in the half-court offense, he is even more lethal in transition. Morant is already one of the most explosive and exciting players in basketball and Memphis is thriving because of it.
Currently, the Memphis Grizzlies sit at 7-4 on the season and are tied for 6th in the Western Conference. Through 9 games, Morant is averaging 28.5PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 7.1 APG. Morant has also looked much better on the defensive side of the ball, a welcomed sight as Memphis misses their defensive anchor for the first half of the season. One year after winning the Most Improved Player award, Morant has his sights set on the MVP.
3. Donovan Mitchell
Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
2022-23 Stats: 31.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.7 BPG
One of the biggest surprises to the start of the 2022-23 season has been the stellar play of Donovan Mitchell. After being traded from Utah towards the end of the offseason, many thought it could take some time for Mitchell to get acclimated to a new team and new system. However, Mitchell has slashed those inferences by leading the Cavaliers to a red-hot start as they sit toward the top of the Eastern Conference.
As much as Mitchell has been known to attack the basket in the past, he has been even more aggressive to start the 2022-23 season. He is finishing 75.0% of his shots at the rim and has even added a much more efficient outside shot to his arsenal. Over 40.0% of his field goal attempts have come from beyond the arc where he is hitting on 45.1% of his attempts. Mitchell has the Cavs as one of the best teams in the NBA right now with an 8-2 record through 10 games. Could this be the year that Cleveland wins their 2nd franchise title?
2. Luka Doncic
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2022-23 Stats: 36.0 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 8.3 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.6 BPG
No other superstar has had a better individual start to the season than Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks. Doncic has made history just 8 games into the 2022-23 season. Doncic has already joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only player to start a season with 9 or more 30-point games. He is also one of 4 players with 200 points, 50 rebounds, and 50 assists so far in 2022-23. Luka has quite literally carried the Mavs and doesn’t show any signs of slowing.
Currently, Doncic leads the NBA with 36.0 PPG. He has the Mavericks at 6-3 despite a lack of production from his supporting cast aside from the newly acquired Christian Wood. He seems to be much improved on the defensive end as well, averaging 1.9 SPG so far. He has been sensational as a playmaker, passer, scorer, and rebounder for the Mavs and has them poised to possibly make a return to the Western Conference Finals and beyond.
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
2022-23 Stats: 31.8 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 5.3 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1.4 BPG
Did you expect to see anyone else atop the MVP power rankings so far in 2022-23? Giannis Antetokounmpo was the consensus best player in the world headed into the season. All he has done to begin the 2022-23 campaign is show why that is and solidify that spot. As a finisher and playmaker, no big man in the NBA has been better to open the season. It seems he grabs every errant shot off of the glass and he is in on every play on the defensive end as well. The way he has started this season makes it seem like he could be the next player up to win MVP, Finals MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year.
The Bucks have gotten off to an incredible start to 2022-23 led by Giannis who has dominated the competition. The Bucks currently sit at 9-1 on the season with Giannis providing all the big plays they have needed to keep the momentum going. He is currently averaging 31.8 PPG, 12.2 RPG, and 5.3 APG. His 1.1 SPG and 1.4 BPG are on par with his career averages as well, meaning he is still the best two-way basketball player in the NBA by a long shot. Could this be the year that Giannis earns his 2nd NBA championship?
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